Paul Henisey, former Newport Beach Police Department captain, has been recently appointed as the new chief of the UC Irvine Police Department. Henisey served for 30 years with the Newport Beach PD and has over 25 years of experience in dealing with youth from parenthood, scouting and other activities. Henisey said that working in harmony with the other departments at UCI is important and that working closely with the rest of UCI is the key to being successful in providing a safe and secure campus. \”The biggest issues on campus will primarily be developing the partnerships and relationships with the various departments and areas on campus to work towards dealing with issues that are important to the UCI community,\” Henisey said. Henisey also said that important issues will stem from the growth of the campus. \”We need to deal with additional facilities, students and faculty members,\” Henisey said. \”We [also] need to make sure that we are keeping the campus secure and safe.\” In response to security concerns, the UCIPD will deal with traffic safety issues and secure the campus from potential outside threats such as terrorism. \”We do not see terrorist issues as a high treat to the university but still want to maintain the necessary arrangements for that,\” Henisey said. According to Henisey, tools to assist in preventing terrorist attacks include barriers, appropriate staffing, monitoring equipment and secure and locked access areas. Henisey\’s top priorities include working with UCI and the community to address quality-of-life issues and crime problems, providing the campus with safety tips and ensuring traffic safety during construction projects. As UCI police chief, Henisey will also face issues such as student protests. Henisey said that being respectful of students\’ freedom of speech is important. \”Our goal will be to enable anyone who wants to [protest to] do so in a lawful manner and without interference from others or from the police department,\” Henisey said. \”We will be there to cooperate, assist and assure their ability to express themselves and their freedom of speech.\” Henisey will also oversee efforts to help prevent theft. \”We monitor types of incidents that occur [and] look for patterns,\” Henisey said. \”If we have patterns we will try to put our efforts into where those patterns are occurring most frequently so we can be most productive in our efforts. \” On the topic of student alcohol use, Henisey said that his method will be to respond to problems rather than trying to preempt them. \”We expect people to use alcohol wisely and maturely,\” Henisey said. \”If we have people [creating] problems due to alcohol use, we will use all the university\’s resources to address that problem. [Resources could include] involvement from student council, student affairs and various administrators at the dorms.\”
According to Henisey, the tactics he used in Newport Beach will be similar to those he will use here, despite the difference in the makeup of the population. \”The policing is very similar [because] we have a high degree of issues dealing with the quality of life in the city of Newport Beach that we have also on the campus here,\” Henisey said. \”We have a slightly different population group here at the university [consisting] of primarily students, a much younger population. … The types of problems and issues that we will have to deal with are, to a certain degree, different, but then again, when it comes to policing and providing a safe and secure environment, those aspects are similar,\” Henisey said. Henisey said that he sees his new position as an opportunity to work closely with the university toward a bright future. \”Being born and raised in California, I am very happy to be the chief here on a UC campus and to have an impact on the future generations of Californians,\” Henisey said. he used in Newport Beach will be similar to those he will use here, despite the difference in the makeup of the population. \”The policing is very similar [because] we have a high degree of issues dealing with the quality of life in the city of Newport Beach that we have also on the campus here,\” Henisey said. \”We have a slightly different population group here at the university [consisting] of primarily students, a much younger population. … The types of problems and issues that we will have to deal with are, to a certain degree, different, but then again, when it comes to policing and providing a safe and secure environment, those aspects are similar,\” Henisey said. Henisey said that he sees his new position as an opportunity to work closely with the university toward a bright future. \”Being born and raised in California, I am very happy to be the chief here on a UC campus and to have an impact on the future generations of Californians,\” Henisey said.